


You've got time

by chick_with_wifi, karolprado



Category: Person of Interest (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F, shootweek
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-27
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2018-11-05 14:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,460
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11015370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chick_with_wifi/pseuds/chick_with_wifi, https://archiveofourown.org/users/karolprado/pseuds/karolprado
Summary: Root has a mission that lands her in jail. She wasn't expecting things to get so interesting.Or, the orange is the new black au that nobody asked for.





	1. 1

**Author's Note:**

> For shoot week! Following chapters will be longer, we have a few more planned out.

Root was sitting by herself, watching the other inmates. She had only been there a few days and had already thought up at least five different ways of escaping. The only problem was that she had a job to do. Well that, and the woman she was currently observing for purely strategic reasons.

Sameen Shaw. She had been there for a good couple of months at least and wasn't the most friendly of people, according to the grapevine. She had a Marines tattoo on her arm and a glare that could make even the most hardened criminal uncomfortable. (Root especially appreciated the tattoo because she had one of her own: a square root on her left shoulder).

In fact, she was giving somebody the stare of doom right then. One of the younger inmates, Maddie or something, sat by Shaw and tried to strike up a conversation with her.

But Shaw was busy fiddling with a tool belt and didn't even pause what she was doing while narrowing her eyes at Maddie.

“OK, never mind. Bye, Shaw,” Maddie said quickly before dashing off to go and speak to a blonde woman that Root recognised as Martine Rosseau.

Every single inmate hated Martine with a fiery passion, and it was easy to see why. She was rude, disrespectful and enjoyed profiting from the misery of others. Or so Root had been told.

Nobody knew what Martine was in for either, but Root suspected it was something high profile and dangerous. 

The reason Root was there was slightly more complicated. But she had managed to do a background check on most people there, including Shaw. Turns out Shaw used to work for the government doing mostly clerical work, but was fired and incarcerated after being accused of murder. 

“Martine no!” Maddie said, clearly upset about something. But Martine just folded her arms and stared Maddie down until she eventually sighed in resignation and nodded her head, hair falling over her face. “Fine.”

Root made a mental note to keep her guard up when Martine was around.

“Hey.” A brunette woman sat on Root’s left and gave her a chipper smile. “I’m Zoe.”

“Root.”

“You're new here, right?” Zoe asked, even though she already knew the answer.

“Been here a few days. Although I’m tempted to leave, the food here isn't very good.”

Zoe chuckled dryly. “You’ll be lucky. So why haven't I seen you around before?”

Shrugging, Root said, “You know. I’ve been here and there. Can’t say much about the company, though.”

“Most of them aren't as bad as they seem. You aren't sharing a room with Shaw, are you? Girl snores like a chainsaw and scared off all her previous roommates. Not by snoring, though.”

“Not at present,” Root said thoughtfully. Interesting.

“Be thankful. So, what are you in for?” Zoe asked.

“I’m afraid that’s classified. You?”

“Also classified,” Zoe said with a smile. “I’ll see you around.”

-

That lunchtime, Shaw sat by herself in the dining hall and kept her head down while she shoveled food into her mouth.

“This seat taken?” Root asked, nodding towards the seat next to Shaw.

Shaw just glared at her and carried on eating.

“I’ll take that as a no.” Root put her tray on the table and sat down. Shaw didn't even bother looking up until Root said, “You’re Sameen, right?”

“It’s Shaw,” she said, narrowing her eyes at Root.

“Nice to meet you, Shaw. Call me Root.”

“What kinda name is that?” Shaw scoffed.

Root folded her arms across her chest defensively. “A good one.”

“Yeah right.” Shaw carried on eating and ignored Root completely.

So Root just stared at her while picking at her own food.

Eventually, Shaw put her cutlery down and glared at Root. “You got some kinda problem?”

Root shrugged. “No.”

“Then quit staring at me.”

“There's no rule saying I can't look wherever I want.”

Shaw lowered her voice threateningly and said, “Quit. Staring. At. Me.”

“Alright.” Root turned her gaze to the wall opposite, but she was smiling. Something about Shaw’s gruff demeanor was charming, and it would be a shame not to get to know her better now that they were introduced. Maybe she would hold off plans of escaping for the time being. 

-

That night, Shaw was about to retire to bed when she saw her new roommate straightening her bedsheets.

Shaw stopped dead in her tracks and exclaimed, “You’ve got to be kidding me!”

“Surprise?” Root offered.


	2. 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Here is the second chapter of our au. I apologise for the fact that it took way longer than originally intended, life kinda got in the way. Anyway hope you enjoy and don't forget to leave a comment! :)

“Hey Sweetie.”

“No.” Shaw took one look at Root and turned on the spot like she was going to leave, but didn't walk away. Instead she stood and wrestled her conscience for an entire minute while Root watched with a barely concealed smirk, then turned back to Root and said, “You're annoying as hell but I don't want to starve.” 

She thrust her tray towards Root, who dished food onto it while saying, “Make sure you eat enough. I’d hate for you to lose your toned physique due to malnutrition.”

Shaw glared at her. “Just shut up and give me food.”

Root smiled and gave Shaw an extra portion of food, and kept smiling while Shaw shook her head and walked away.

As usual, Shaw sat by herself at the furthest table, but this time Root didn't join her. She was thankful to be able to eat in peace, without Root’s constant wittering. The woman loved the sound of her own voice. Shaw had found that out the hard way the previous night, when she was forced to put her fingers in her ears because Root just would not stop explaining the intricacies of metaphysics to her, despite the fact that Shaw was clearly not interested.

But Root did seem highly knowledgeable, which wasn't a bad thing.

However Shaw had zero intention of letting Root disturb her strict schedule. She spent at least an hour a day working out, running the perimeter of the yard three times, then doing sets of pushups, situps and burpees.

She did this every day without fail, because it was both important to stay in shape and a good way to blow off steam that didn't involve starting a fight.

It was about halfway through her second lap that Shaw tossed a stray hair out of her face and caught sight of Root. Sitting on the grass, watching her work out. 

You have got to be kidding me, Shaw thought. Only my luck would be rotten enough to be saddled with a stalker in prison. At least she’s hot. 

Shaw didn't slow down, but did make sure to flex her muscles as much as possible for Root’s benefit. It was amusing to watch her almost fall over even though she was sitting down.

And when Shaw had finished her workout, she winked at Root on her way inside. If the crash behind her was any indication, Root had tripped over her own two feet.

-

Later that day, Shaw took Zoe some noodles in exchange for any information she had on Root. If anybody was going to know about her, it would be Zoe Morgan.

“Sorry, Shaw. Can't help you there,” Zoe said with a shrug.

“You don't know anything?” Shaw asked incredulously. Her hand twitched towards the noodles as though she wanted to take them back, but Zoe noticed this and moved the noodles closer to herself.

“I've tried, but she has no digital footprint whatsoever. She might as well not exist.” Zoe stood up and patted Shaw on the shoulder. “Thanks for the noodles.”

“Zoe, wait,” Shaw said quickly.

Zoe paused and motioned for Shaw to proceed.

“Do you know anybody else who might be able to find out who she is?”

“I can think of one person. Why are you so hung up on her anyway?” Zoe asked, folding her arms.

Shaw muttered something unintelligible and shrugged.

Zoe’s face stretched into a huge grin. “Oh my word. You like her, don't you?”

“What? No! She is annoying and loud and nerdy and probably stalking me. Why would I like her? Just because she’s hot and and smart and has fancy hair doesn't make her attractive.”

Tutting and shaking her head Zoe said, “oh Shaw. I know you too well to fall for that. I haven't seen you this flustered about somebody since Tomas.”

“Don't bring Tomas into this!” Shaw hissed. “So, uh, who do you think might be able to find out about her?”

“Claire Mahoney,” Zoe said. “She has some surprising connections. Good luck.” And Zoe went over to flirt with one of the guards, John Reese, who everybody knew she had a huge crush on. 

Shaw had been meaning to speak to Claire for quite some time, since she had information on another line of enquiry that Shaw was pursuing. A more personal one.

She scanned the room in search of Claire, but instead noticed Root having a heated debate with somebody Shaw didn't know. Root was clearly passionate about whatever they were discussing, since she was gesticulating wildly and her voice was getting increasingly louder.

Shaw could make out some of what she was saying and it wasn't even in English. “Ce n'est pas difficile de trouver les défauts dans le système, mais vous êtes extrêmement stupide!”

After this last exclamation, Carter knocked on the wall to get their attention and said, “Inmate, please stop being so loud.”

“Sorry, I didn't know I was being loud,” Root said in an angelic voice. “I am partially deaf, you know.”

Shaw couldn't resist a small smile. She might only have known Root for a few days, but she was willing to bet anything that Root wasn't the model inmate she pretended to be whenever the guards were watching.

From Carter’s expression, it was clear she didn’t believe Root’s façade any more than Shaw did. “Just try to keep it down, Root.”

“Of course.” Root gave her a winning smile then went back to her conversation at a more acceptable volume.

Shaw had also noticed that Carter was the only guard who actually called Root ‘Root’. All the others seemed to know Root’s legal name and supposedly called her by it, but every time any of them tried to address Root, there was always a suspiciously well-timed cough or sneeze, or Root dropped something that made a loud bang.

So none of the inmates knew anything about her. It just made Shaw more determined to find out who she was dealing with. But first she needed to find Claire.

Eventually Shaw tracked Claire down to the bathroom, where she was washing her hands at the sink and glanced up nervously when Shaw walked in.

“Don't worry, I’m just here to talk,” Shaw said.

“What about?” Claire asked warily. 

“You used to work for the government, didn't you?”

“Maybe.” Claire kept her tone neutral and made eye contact with Shaw, daring her to continue.

“OK, let me rephrase. I know you used to work for the government, and you were incarcerated after supposedly killing one of your colleagues but swore blind that you were innocent. Yet somehow the evidence was undeniable so you lost your friends’ trust and ended up here. But I believe you are innocent.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Because the exact same thing happened to me.”

Claire gave Shaw a skeptical look, as if she were trying to determine whether Shaw was telling the truth. “Suppose I believe you, what then? You want to start a club? A support group where we all sit around playing mournful tunes on the violin?”

“Not exactly. I want to get revenge on the lying pricks who ruined my life. You want in?”

Claire smiled. “Hell yeah.”

“First I need you to tell me what you know,” Shaw said.

Shaking her head, Claire said, “You first. So I know you aren't just making this up.”

Shaw nodded resignedly. “I guess that's fair. I used to do mostly clerical work, trying to pay off my student loans, but my friend Cole was killed because of a mistake they made. When I tried to investigate, they framed me for his death and I ended up here. The only reason I haven't escaped is because you are my only hope of getting revenge. So tell me, what do you know about the people that framed you?”

-

That evening, Shaw decided to go to the library. It was quiet and usually deserted, which made it a good place to hide from the chaos that was permanently taking place in every other location.

She hadn't actually spoken to Root since that morning, even though she seemed to possess an unnatural ability to be literally everywhere Shaw was. She couldn't so much as turn around without catching sight of Root. But she had kept her distance, and Shaw was willing to put it down to their confined surroundings. It was kind of hard to avoid someone when the entire purpose of the building was to keep them all contained.

Until she entered the library and saw the back of a familiar tall brunette, browsing the bookshelves and muttering to herself.

Shaw glanced both ways, to confirm there was nobody else there, then tried to listen to what Root was saying. It definitely wasn't about the books, and she could have sworn she heard her name mentioned. It was then that curiosity got the better of her and she asked, “who on earth are you talking to?”

Root started and wheeled around like she was expecting a fight, but let out a tiny sigh of relief when she saw who it was. “Huh?”

“I said, who on earth were you talking to? There's nobody else here.” She gestured to the empty room to emphasise her point.

“Just practicing my French, ma chère. It is the language of love, after all.” Root accompanied this sentence with the worst wink Shaw had ever seen. It took all her willpower not to physically cringe, while Root seemed blissfully unaware of the crime she had just committed against the wink. But it wasn't enough to distract from her obvious lie about who she'd been talking to.

“Yeah, whatever. Just shut up, I’m trying to read.” Shaw grabbed the nearest book off the shelf and sat down to read it, but couldn't focus because Root was staring at her. So she glanced up long enough to glare at Root, who then chose a book at random and pretended to read it.

“Root,” Shaw said a few seconds later. “Quit staring at me.”

“I’m not staring at you,” Root said, the absolute wide-eyed picture of innocence.

Shaw gave her a look. “You’re holding that book upside down.”

Root glanced down in embarrassment then set the book back on the shelf. “I can't help it if you're so beautiful that I can't take my eyes off you.”

Shaw scoffed. “Has that line ever actually worked for you?”

“Actually, you're the first person I've tried it on.” 

“I’m honoured,” Shaw deadpanned. “But if you want to woo me, you can start by letting me read in peace.”


	3. 3

“Can you hear me?” Root asked under her breath. 

“Yes.” The slightly crackly reply filtered through her cochlear implant, and Root’s posture relaxed immediately as she let out a soft sigh.

“We have a few minutes to talk. Shaw’s elsewhere and no wardens are due for another ten minutes.”

“You wish to speak to me.”

Root chuckled. “That obvious, huh?”

“You initiated conversation without a clear purpose.”

“I just wanted to talk,” Root said, lying back on the bed and closing her eyes.

“About what?”

“Hmm. I hadn't thought that far ahead, honestly. How about you tell me about the other inmates? Anything you think I might find interesting.”

“Zoe Morgan fancies John Reese. Claire Mahoney used to be a chess prodigy…” The Machine continued reciting details about the inmates and Root listened intently with a small smile on her face. She always loved the sound of Her voice and it was an added bonus when she could later creep people out by knowing weirdly specific stuff about their lives.

-

Shaw scanned the area as quickly as possible, trying not to appear suspicious. It was a good idea, she’d learned, to scout out the territory before entering anywhere in the prison. She liked to keep awkward confrontations to a minimum.

Martine was standing by the wall and talking into one of the wall-mounted phones, her body angled away from the other inmates even though it was plainly obvious what she was doing. Shaw just ignored Martine and hoped she would do the same to Shaw.

Shaw heard a familiar voice and her eyes were instantly drawn to Root, who was sitting in the corner and talking to someone Shaw didn't recognise. She wasn't speaking as loudly as before, but still seemed passionate. When Shaw got slightly closer she realised Root was speaking yet another language, and fought the urge to roll her eyes.

As soon as Shaw entered Root’s peripheral vision, Root looked up and smiled at her. “Sameen, may I borrow you?” she asked.

Shaw nodded, her curiosity piqued.

“Ein Moment, bitte,” she said to her friend, then stood up and smiled at Shaw again. “We were just discussing quantum physics and the intricacies of Schrödinger's cat. Have you heard of it?”

“Isn't that the thing with the cat in a box that is both dead and alive?”

Root nodded. “Yes, exactly. Anke disagrees with my latest interpretation, but I wanted to get a third opinion before I renounce it entirely.”

“What is your latest interpretation?”

“I’m so glad you asked. OK, so I was thinking the other day and realised that Schrödinger's cat is essentially immortal. There is a 50/50 chance whether or not the poisonous substance has killed the cat, so until you open the box it is both dead and alive. But this scenario doesn't factor in the cat being dying from other things, like old age if it was left in the box for a really long time. So no matter how long you wait to open the box, the cat is still immortal.” Root finally paused for breath. “What do you think?”

Shaw pursed her lips thoughtfully. “Yeah I guess that makes sense. But the cat isn't both alive and dead - it's neither, since being alive and being dead are mutually exclusive. So it stands to reason that it could be immortal.”

“Indeed,” Root said, nodding feverently. “I’m so happy you think it makes sense.”

“Root!” her friend, Anke, called, looking irritated. 

“Ja, ich komme gleich!” Root called over her shoulder then gave Shaw a quick apologetic look. “Do you think I should look into this a bit more?”

“I guess, yeah,” Shaw said.

“Root!” Anke shouted again.

Root huffed and turned to glare at her. “ICH KOMME GLEICH ZURÜCK!” Then she turned back to Shaw. “Thanks for playing.”

“No problem. I think you should go back to your friend now, though.” Shaw smiled.

“Yeah. I’ll see you later. Bye!” She went and sat back down next to Anke, saying, “Entschuldigung, ich bin hier jetzt.”

Shaw half-turned away from Root, before realising that she didn't have anywhere else to go. In fact, she wasn't entirely sure why she was in that room in the first place. A small part of her acknowledged that she had wanted to see Root, but only to ensure that Root wasn't doing anything weird or creepy like stalking her.

But then, in her peripheral vision, she noticed Root leap up as though she remembered something else she wanted to ask Shaw, which helped her make up her mind and briskly walk out of the room.

Unfortunately her sudden departure left Root directly facing Martine, who was still engaged in her super shady phonecall and speaking quietly into the handset, “I will, provided this whole thing isn't completely FUBAR.”

For a split second, Root entertained the wild hope that Martine had somehow not noticed Root staring right at her, but that hope was dispelled the second Martine slammed the receiver down and started walking towards her.

Root stood immobile for an entire second, trying to debate the pros and cons of fighting Martine. On one hand, she would really like to teach her a lesson or two, but was it really worth getting sent to Max?

“You,” Martine practically growled. “You were eavesdropping on me, weren't you?”

“I can assure you, Martine, I couldn't care less what you do in your personal time, nor am I actually capable of eavesdropping due to the fact that I’m par-”

“Stop rambling,” Martine said coldly. “You should know it's wrong to listen in to somebody else's phonecall. I know your type, Groves. You've had it in for me since you walked through the door, always watching me and spying on me.”

“I really haven't.”

“You're untrustworthy. You're a liar and a cheat, and I’m going to make sure you never eavesdrop on me again!”

“You know, asking me nicely would work equally well.”

Almost before she had even finished her sentence, Martine swung a punch at Root who ducked instinctively then dug her elbow into the small of Martine’s back and attempted to get behind her, to avoid being forced into offensive action.

But Martine was quick, spinning around and grabbing Root’s arms to stop her from fighting back. Then she slammed her forehead into Root’s jaw, causing her to stumble backwards and fall.

Going in for the final kick, Martine moved towards Root and raised one leg. But Root took advantage of her lack of balance to grab Martine’s arms and flip the blonde over her head.

Martine fell flat on her back, all the wind knocked out of her. Root then knelt over her, pinning Martine’s arms to her sides to prevent her from fighting back.

“Self defence,” Root said quickly, holding her hands up in surrender, when she saw the guards approaching. “I didn't hurt her.” Then, under her breath, “regardless of how much I wanted to.”

“We will have to get a little more information than that, Root,” Carter said.

“Alright.” Root stood up and resisted the urge to give Martine one final kick while she was down.

Meanwhile Shaw, who had turned round as soon as she heard the fight starting and watched the whole thing from the doorway, was incredibly surprised. Root looked like she weighed 100 pounds soaking wet but was somehow able to hold her own in a fight? She had not expected that.

-

Shaw stood outside the shower cubicle where the top of Root’s head was just visible above the curtain. “Root!” she called. “Hurry up - I want there to be at least some hot water left for me!”

But Root just ignored her and continued to shower. About a minute later, she switched off the water and a slender arm emerged from the cubicle to grab the towel hanging over the divider between the stalls.

Then, wrapped in the towel, she pushed the curtain aside and almost jumped at the sight of Shaw. “Jesus!”. Her hand immediately went to her wrist to check her pulse.

“Nope, just me,” Shaw replied with a slightly concerned frown. Her eyes almost flicked towards Root’s wrist as she registered the movement, but kept her gaze on Root’s face which was framed by her dripping dark hair.

“Sorry,” Root said, embarrassed. “You scared me. I didn't know you were there.”

“Did you not hear me speaking to you?”

“Um no.” She shifted uncomfortably and glanced towards the door like she was planning an exit from their conversation. But then she swallowed and looked back at Shaw. “Actually, I’m completely deaf in this ear.” She waved a hand towards her right ear with a awkward half-smile. “Couldn't really hear anything above the water.”

Shaw nodded. “Ok. I just wanted to make sure you didn't use up all the hot water while you were taking forever in there.”

“There wasn't very much when I started,” Root admitted. Then Shaw moved out of her way and she readjusted her towel before leaving.

They didn't cross paths again until that evening. Shaw was sitting on her bed with her hair loose and still the slightest bit damp, combing it through with her fingers, when Root entered.

“Hey,” she said offhandedly before flopping down on her own bed and attempting to stifle a yawn.

“Hi,” Shaw said in acknowledgement without looking up.

They sat in silence for a few seconds before Shaw finally said, “so you're deaf, huh. Mind if I ask how it happened?”

Root sighed, lying on her back with her hands folded on her stomach. “I mean, I’d much rather you ask than just make something up or ask somebody else behind my back.” She turned her head to look at Shaw. “You really want to know?”

“Umm...yeah.”

“About a year ago I was working on a case, but the bad guys managed to get a hold of me. They wanted intel. Badly. And wouldn't believe me when I said I didn't know. Then they tried some good old fashioned torture which didn’t yield any results. So they cut the stapes out of my right ear. Would probably have done the other one as well, but I managed to get hold of a knife and escape.” She lifted a hand towards her ear and snapped her fingers. “I don't really notice it much anymore, but it's still there.”

“And when you checked your pulse earlier, was that something…?”

Root’s eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Wow, you're perceptive.”

“I was in med school for a bit, picked a few things up.”

“Huh. To answer your question, that would be the aforementioned torture. Amphetamine in one arm, barbiturate in the other. A rollercoaster of sorts. I reckon I had about ten rounds, I don't remember the exact details. Apparently you can only take so much before your heart explodes. That didn't happen, thankfully, but it did leave it's mark.”

“The twilight zone technique,” Shaw breathed. “I thought that was illegal.”

Root sat up. “It is. Didn't exactly stop them using it.” Then she fiddled with something behind her ear and showed Shaw a small black device that looked like a hearing aid with an extra piece of wire that had a small circle on the end of it. “Cochlear implant,” she explained. “It helps me hear speech and stuff but I don't always like to use it, because it sounds different to my other ear.”

“Do the wardens know about that?”

Root’s eyebrows drew together. “I don't actually know. But I don't think so, considering it's usually covered by my hair.” She yawned again.

“Thanks for telling me all that,” Shaw said, and she genuinely meant it. “I’ll let you sleep now, you look exhausted.”

Root smiled. “No problem. Goodnight, Sameen.”

“Goodnight Root.”

-

The next day, Shaw was washing her hands in the bathroom when Claire approached her nervously. “Shaw?” she asked, wringing her hands. “There's something I need to tell you.”

Shaw knew that those words never preceded good news. After checking to make sure nobody else was within earshot she said, “What is it?”

“I was too scared to tell you before, but you need to know this. One of the other inmates has ties to the government and I’m worried she...she might be here to shut you up if you keep digging. I don't know who and I can't tell you any more than that, I’m sorry. But please be careful and remember: you didn't hear this from me. Bye, Shaw.”

Claire raced out of the bathroom so quickly she nearly tripped, leaving Shaw reeling from this new information.

Someone there to make sure she didn't expose the government's shady dealings. Somebody who was trying to gain her trust and was trained enough to shut her up permanently if need be. “Root,” she whispered.

It had to be Root.

She had been following Shaw around for actual days and probably eavesdropping on her, had some form of special forces involvement considering she had been tortured using a method developed by the CIA, and if that fight with Martine was anything to go by she had been trained in combat as well.

And the way Root kept talking to Shaw and opening up to her like she wanted to be friends; was that just Root’s way of gaining Shaw’s trust?

Good thing Shaw didn't do friendship. She resolved to be extra careful around Root from then on.

Her suspicion was heightened later that day when she was outside waiting for the new construction instructor to arrive. 

Root came to stand next to Shaw, clearly excited about something, bouncing on her heels and almost vibrating with energy. “Hey Sameen, what a coincidence that you are here too!”

“I was here first,” Shaw said. “And didn't you used to work in the kitchens?”

“Pfft no,” Root scoffed. 

Shaw arched an eyebrow.

“Ok yeah. But I got bored and now I am here!” She seemed far too cheerful and it put Shaw on edge instantly.

“Is that so,” she said noncommittally. As soon as Root’s attention was drawn elsewhere, Shaw glanced up at her to see if she could gain any clues about Root’s possible secret agenda.


	4. 4

Shaw approached Root the next day, and Root could tell immediately that something was different about her.

“Sit down,” Shaw demanded, pointing to a bench. “We need to talk.”

“Hello to you too,” Root said angrily, but nonetheless complying with Shaw’s order. The Machine hadn't warned her about anything and she wasn't sure what was going on.

“What are you really doing here?”

“I was arrested?” Root replied, confused. She was almost certain Shaw didn't know about the Machine, since She would definitely have mentioned that. So she had no idea why Shaw was giving her the third degree. Unless this had something to do with her investigation…

“No, Root. The truth.”

Root didn't know what to say. “I…”

“I know you used to work for the government,” Shaw said.

“I didn't…” Root’s voice switched from faux-innocence to real confusion, and Shaw noticed.

“You didn't?”

“No, and I really don't know why you're cross-interrogating me!” Root said angrily. “It isn't polite to go around accusing people of lying!”

“So you really aren't the government agent trying to shut me up?” Shaw still didn't sound convinced.

“Sameen, I have no idea what you're talking about. I have never worked for the government, nor do I intend to, and for that matter I don't have any ties to your investigation.” Root realised her mistake as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

“I never told you about my investigation,” Shaw said slowly. “So you were eavesdropping on me.”

“Partially deaf, remember? I can't eavesdrop.” 

“Whatever. You might not work for the government but you were spying on me. You wanna tell me why?”

Root looked at the floor. “I don't know why,” she whispered. Because she really didn't. The Machine had barely told her why she was there, just that Shaw was important. So she had concluded that the only way to get more info was to investigate Shaw.

“You were spying on me but you don't know why?” Shaw asked coldly. “Somehow I find that hard to believe.”

“Well you’d better believe it, because it's the truth!”

“How can I believe anything you say?!”

At this point, Root and Shaw were actually yelling at each other and a few of the other inmates had stuck their heads into the room to see what was going on.

The two women were about to come to blows when Carter rushed in and placed herself between them. “Alright, that's enough. Both of you calm down now. I don't care what happened or who started it, I’m finishing it. I will not tolerate that sort of behaviour. Understood?”

“Yes,” Root said reluctantly.

“Shaw?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Now, I’d better not hear either of you yelling like that again or there will be severe consequences.”

-

When Root next had a quiet moment to herself, she decided to speak to the Machine.

“Are you there?”

“Yes.”

“So here's the deal: you tell me why I’m here or I walk.”

“I cannot do that.”

“You're omniscient, of course you can. I can be out of here in 12 seconds and you know it. So spill: why am I here?”

The Machine was silent.

“Tell me,” Root pleaded, her desperation finally showing.

“You are here to protect Sameen from the government agent sent to kill her, to prevent her finishing her investigation and exposing government secrets.”

“You couldn't have clued a girl in?” Root asked. “Sameen thought I was there to kill her, kind of put a damper on our friendship.”

“I am sorry.”

Root wasn't sure how to respond to that so she asked, “Who is the person sent to kill her?”

“I can't divulge that information yet.”

“But you must know,” Root protested.

“I cannot say. But I will warn you when the time is right.”

Root shook her head. “I guess you're the boss. So let's try something simpler. I’m going to have to tell Sameen the truth or she'll never trust me again. Can I tell her about you?”

The Machine was silent for a few seconds and Root began to think She might never answer. Until eventually: “yes.”

-

Root had decided that she was going to tell Shaw everything at lunch. They had enough time and it was always so loud in the cafeteria that they didn't have to worry about eavesdroppers, plus she didn't want Shaw to be mad at her for any longer than was necessary. She wasn't certain but Shaw definitely seemed like the type to hold a grudge.

She slid into the line for food a few people behind Shaw, then once she had her tray she walked over to Shaw who was about to sit down at her preferred table in the corner.

“Sameen,” she said quietly, standing so close that her shoulder was almost touching Shaw’s. “I need to tell you something.”

Root was nervous but trying not to show it. If she messed this conversation up it wasn't just her and Shaw’s relationship on the line, but also their trust. And if Shaw didn't trust her then she wouldn't believe her or accept her help against the agent trying to kill her. So by extension, Shaw’s life was riding on this as well. No pressure. She opened her mouth to speak, but her brain seemed to freeze up and she was unable to get her words out. What if Shaw thought she was lying? What if-

Root felt Shaw take her food tray off her and looked at her in confusion.

“You looked like you were about to drop it,” Shaw explained. “Here, I think you should sit down. Don't want you passing out on me.” Once they were both seated she asked, “What do you need to tell me?”

“I work for a higher power,” Root said. “She speaks to me.”

Shaw looked skeptical. “You what?”

Root took a deep breath. “In 2002, a machine was built. An artificial super intelligence who can see everything and predict violent crimes, then sends Her team to prevent them. I found Her and became Her interface, if people want to talk to Her the only way is through me. She also gives me the more complicated missions, one of which was to come here. At first She wouldn't tell me why, most of the time She tells me what to do the second before I do it. But after our argument she told me I’m here to protect you from the agent sent to kill you. I don't yet know who it is.” She paused. “My protection is here if you want it, I promise you I’m highly capable. I can also help you with your investigation if you want?”

Shaw was silent for a while as she took it all in. “So just to be clear, you work for an AI who told you to come here but didn't tell you why. Does that mean you weren't really arrested for anything?”

Root nodded.

“And this AI knew I was in danger and sent you to protect me. But that still doesn't explain why you were stalking me. You wanna shed some light on that?”

That made Root squirm uncomfortably. “Partly because I needed to find out why I’m here and partly because….I’m kind of a big fan.”

“Why am I not surprised?” Shaw whispered to herself. Then, at normal volume, “I have to say, that is far too absurd for you to have made up. So yeah, I believe you.”

Root sighed in relief, “I’m so glad. I don't know what I would have done if you didn't.”

-

That night, Root took off her sound processor and got in bed. She rested her cheek on her hand and looked at Shaw. “So you know my story. What’s yours?”

“I was in med school for a bit, but then they kicked me out after finding out I don't have feelings like most people. So I joined the marines, figured I was better at killing people than fixing them. From there the government offered me and Cole jobs, started out easy but we moved on to harder stuff. But we'd only been there a few months when he started acting strangely, questioning who we were really working for and so on. The next day he was killed. It looked like an accident, but when I started digging I began to think that might not be the case. Before I could make any more progress with my investigation I was framed for Cole’s death and ended up here.”

“That does sound really suspicious,” Root said pensively. “I’ll get in touch with some people who might be able to help.” 

She pulled the covers up to her chin like she was about to sleep, but Shaw said, “Root?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

“Goodnight, Sameen.”

-

The next morning, John approached Root and asked if he could speak to her in private.

“I've been meaning to catch up with you for a while but I just never got round to it,” he said. “What did you do?”

Root frowned at him. “Huh?”

“To get arrested,” he clarified. “What did you do? Finch and I kind of lost track of you after you saved us and Claypool from Control, but honestly I’m not surprised you ended up in jail.”

“John, I’m here on a mission.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “Same as you, I presume.”

John opened his mouth to reply but she cut him off. “I'm offended you actually think I would get caught for committing a crime.”

He sighed wearily. “My bad. Anyway, I’m here because Martine Rosseau is working for Samaritan. I don't know what she's doing here but I’m willing to bet it isn't good.”

“That's it!” Root exclaimed. “My theory was right. The thing they're hiding, the thing they killed to cover up - it's Samaritan!”

“But Samaritan is just a programme,” John said. “It doesn't need all that cloak-and-dagger to protect it.”

“That’s what I thought at first, but then Sameen said before he was killed Cole had been acting strangely and questioning who they were really working for. I’m not positive, but I think Samaritan’s reach might extend a lot further than we originally believed. I offered to help Sameen with her investigation, so I can get one of my contacts to look into that.”

“I think that might be a very good idea,” John said.

“And my only other question is, if Martine is indeed the agent sent here to shut Shaw up - why hasn't she done it already? She's been here months, she must have had plenty of opportunities.”

“Now you mention it, that does seem suspect. And if you're working this case as well then it must be serious. I’ll talk to Finch, see if he knows anything else.”

“Alright,” Root said. “I’ll see you around.”

As she was leaving, Root ran a hand through her hair. And at that exact moment, a different guard walked past and asked, “Inmate, what's that behind your ear?”

“It’s my cochlear implant,” Root said like it was obvious.

“You aren't allowed electronic devices,” he said gruffly.

“But I need it...to hear?”

“It is an unauthorised item. Hand it over.”

“I don't believe this,” Root muttered too quietly for the guard to hear. But she complied with his instructions anyway, a massive confrontation was the last thing she needed. Still, this was not the last he was going to hear about this.

“Thank you for your cooperation,” he said, putting the sound processor in his pocket.

“What?” Root asked.

“I said, thank you for your co-”

“Don't bother. I can't hear you, seeing as you basically have my ear stashed in your pocket. Have a nice day.” She turned and left, a scheme to get her implant back already forming in her mind.

She returned to the main room and sat down, folding her arms. That guard was really getting on her nerves, and she wanted to get back at him so bad that she was willing to give up her low profile. 

Shaw must have noticed her facial expression, because she came over and sat to Root’s left.

“Hey Eeyore, what's up? You look like somebody just kicked your dog,” Shaw said.

“Some idiot guard confiscated my sound processor,” Root replied. “Which provided not only half of my hearing, but also my only connection to the Machine.”

“Geez, what a jerk,” Shaw said disdainfully.

“You took the words right out of my mouth.”

Shaw glanced up and her attention was drawn to something over Root’s right shoulder. Following her gaze, Root saw Carter saying something the whole room, but she wasn't at the right angle to read her lips. So she just shrugged and looked down at the floor. It wasn't her fault she couldn't hear.

A couple of seconds later, a hand waved in her peripheral vision and she involuntarily glanced up. It was Carter, standing right in front of her, and she didn't look impressed. “Root. Have you heard a single word I’ve said?”

“I’m sorry,” Root said in what she guessed was a slightly louder voice than usual, judging the volume at which she was speaking was difficult without her sound processor. “I can't hear you. One of your esteemed colleagues confiscated my cochlear implant and without it I’m deaf.” She moved her hair out of the way of her right ear, showing Carter the scar behind it.

The other inmates behind Carter were glancing around uncertainly, elbowing each other and whispering. Root assumed they were all saying stuff like ‘can she really not hear us?’. She looked at Shaw out of the corner of her eye, who was at glaring Maddie. Then she looked up at Maddie and noticed her giggling behind her hand at something.

“Root,” Carter said. “Just go outside with the other inmates and do some more construction work.”

Root sighed. “Honestly, there I was thinking I was the deaf one. I. Can't. Hear. You. And it doesn't matter how loud you yell, I still won't be able to so don't waste your time. ”

She glanced at Shaw, who was pressing her lips together to suppress a laugh.

Joss tapped her chin thoughtfully. “You know what? I’ll go find the guard that took your cochlear implant, I think I know who he is and I have a few choice words to say to him.” On her way out, she addressed the whole room. “Work is delayed for the time being. I’ll be back soon.”

Conversation broke out among the other inmates and Shaw leaned closer to Root to whisper in her ear, “do they not know it's just the one ear?”

Root shook her head almost imperceptibly.

“I like your style,” Shaw whispered. “Claire looks like she wants to speak to me.”

Sure enough, Claire was frantically beckoning Shaw over. Shaw got up and approached her, but as soon as she was within earshot Claire grabbed her arm and dragged her away from the crowd. She then began talking quickly and nervously, waving her hands around for emphasis.

Shaw kept her cool and responded patiently, but it took a few attempts before Claire calmed down and actually listened to her.

But Claire didn't seem convinced by whatever Shaw was saying and carried on with her desperate monologue.

Root got up and joined them a few minutes later when it became clear Carter wouldn't be returning any time soon.

As soon as Claire noticed Root approaching, her body language changed completely and she clasped her hands in front of her. “Yes, Shaw, I do think the new construction guy is hot,” she said in the fakest ‘calm voice’ Root had ever heard.

“He’s alright, I guess, but I’m imparcial,” Shaw said. Root could see a confused crease between her eyebrows at the sudden subject change. 

“I’m with Sameen on this one,” Root said. “He is average looking at best...if you're into guys.”

“I thought you couldn't hear,” Claire said to Root.

Root didn't respond to her at all and carried on talking to Shaw, “But of course, I have no experience with that.”

Shaw rolled her eyes so hard it almost looked painful. “I knew you were going to say that.”

It was at that exact moment that Carter returned with Root’s sound processor and, after waiting for her to put it on, was full of apologies for her colleague's behaviour.

-

Later that evening, Root and Shaw were reflecting on the day's drama.

“What did you think about the scene I made?” Root asked.

“I spent the entire time thinking ‘we had a half hour conversation last night after you took off your sound processor, stop being so dramatic’,” Shaw replied. 

Root laughed. “Hey, it had to be done. Taking my implant was illegal, I wasn't going to let them just get away with it.”

“OK yeah, that was a really bad move on their part.” 

“Bad move? It was a terrible move! I have half a mind to…”

But it was obvious that Shaw wasn't listening. She was too busy watching Maddie approaching. “Just a second.”

Shaw slid over to the side of her seat and stuck her foot out just as Maddie walked past them. Maddie tripped and fell, then glared at Shaw who just shrugged innocently and turned back to Root. “You were saying?”


	5. 5

The Machine had been silent in Root’s ear since their last conversation when Root had demanded more information. She hadn't really thought that much of it, considering she had been rather distracted with all the time she'd been spending with Shaw.

Since they were no longer keeping secrets from each other, the two had gotten a lot closer. Root was really happy about that and she suspected Shaw was too, even though Shaw always tried to hide it.

And she had been busy for most of the day, chatting with Daizo on the phone to tell him what information she needed and then meeting with him in the visiting room while he relayed everything he had found out. Admittedly, it wasn't a great deal of information but there was only so much they could do without tipping off the wardens. On the plus side, it was enough for Root to fill in the blanks of Shaw’s investigation and she was going to tell everything to Shaw over their next meal. 

It wasn't until she heard a quiet tone in her implant that she realised how long it had been since Her last communication. 

“Hello?” Root said tentatively, after checking there was nobody else around to witness her talking to herself. 

“Keep an eye on Martine,” the Machine said. Even though Her voice was artificial, Root could have sworn the Machine sounded worried.

Root waited for a few seconds, wondering if there was more information coming. But it shortly became clear that was not the case. The Machine often made a habit of being taciturn, only giving Root snippets of information here and there and letting her fill in the blanks for herself. 

“Will do,” Root promised.

So she made a quick circuit of the prison in her search for Martine. It was common knowledge that Martine wasn't well liked and had a glare fierce enough to scare even the most hardened of criminals, which meant she often spent a lot of time by herself either in the TV room or the common room.

After concluding she wasn't anywhere to be found in either of those locations, Root went to check the yard. It was then that she saw Martine who was on her way back into the main building.

Root stiffened and moved out of sight, keeping her back against the wall and holding her breath until Martine had walked past without noticing her. Then she followed Martine towards the library and noticed that she appeared to be concealing something behind her back.

Quickening her pace, Root was soon able to catch a glance at what it was. She had to stifle a gasp and the only thought that registered in her brain was ‘I have to find Sameen’.

She wanted to sprint, but as that wasn't allowed she had to settle for a brisk walk.

She had already noticed a profound lack of Shaw during her rounds a few minutes earlier, so concluded that Shaw had to be in the bathroom. 

Sure enough, Shaw was there washing her hands and looked up as soon as Root entered.

“Hi,” Shaw said and tried to sidestep around Root, but the taller woman moved to block her path. “Now isn't time for your flirting, Root.”

“It's not that,” Root said quietly. She watched Shaw’s face fall as she took in Root’s demeanor.

“What is it?” Shaw asked.

“I came to warn you. The Machine spoke to me and - and Martine smuggled a knife in somehow, I saw it. I don't know for certain but I think she… she’s going to kill you.”

Root’s voice wobbled and she internally berated herself. Shaw needed clearheaded backup not a blubbering mess.

“How did she manage to do that?” Shaw asked.

Root shrugged, looking down at the floor. “I don't know. My guess is that she has people helping her.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go teach Martine a lesson.”

Root looked up at Shaw. “Really?”

“Yeah. Come on, I seriously doubt you warned me about this with the intention of just letting it happen. We need to make the first move.”

“Let's go,” Root said.

They walked to the library. Root’s heart was pounding and she tried to take calming breaths, fully aware of how dangerous prolonged panic was when paired with her heart condition.

Shaw barely seemed fazed by the whole ordeal, the only indication of her current state was the firm set of her jaw, which spoke more of annoyance than fear.

Root felt slightly ashamed that she was freaking out even though she wasn't even the one who Martine had it in for, but she had come to care about Shaw so much over the past few days. More than she had felt for anyone in a long time.

So when Shaw’s hand accidentally - at least, she assumed it was accidentally - brushed against hers, it was as though she was experiencing something incredible for the first time.

Martine turned away from the bookshelves and faced Root and Shaw as soon as she heard them enter. “Oh, fancy seeing you here,” she said casually. As far as Martine knew, the knife she had smuggled in was still a secret.

“Just wanted to look for a book,” Shaw said, shrugging and gesturing to the bookshelves. “I considered looking in the yard but there just isn't as much choice there.”

“I’m not surprised.” Martine took a step forward, concealing one of her hands behind her back. To the casual observer, nothing was out of the ordinary but Root knew different.

“Yeah?” Shaw asked, calmly as if she were commenting on the weather.

“Yeah.” Martine took another step forward then lunged towards Shaw, bringing her hand out from behind her back and aiming the knife directly at Shaw’s neck.

Root reacted quickly, drawing her right arm back then punching Martine in the face with all the force she could muster. It was enough to knock Martine back and she stumbled blindly, covering her bleeding nose with her left hand. She made another desperate bid with her right hand, slashing it towards Shaw’s abdomen. But Shaw easily caught hold of her arm and squeezed it until Martine was forced to drop the knife.

However, even after losing her weapon she didn't give up and wrapped her hands around Shaw’s neck. Root didn't even pause to think, she just threw herself between them and dug her elbow into Martine’s stomach then managed to get one of her own hands around Martine’s neck, and slowly tightened her grip as she said, “don't you ever try to hurt Sameen again.” 

It was at that point that Carter and another of the guards, John, raced into the room and began yelling.

“Stop! All three of you stop it now!” Carter yelled.

“Hands behind your heads!” John shouted, before rushing into the fray and dragging Martine away. She spat a mouthful of blood at Shaw before allowing herself to be manhandled away with her arms pinned behind her back.

Meanwhile, Carter was restraining Root, who was struggling and yelling, “let me go, I almost had her!”. Her hair was falling over her face but she didn't try to move it.

Shaw just wiped the blood off her forehead and checked herself over for injuries. Luckily, she was unharmed.

“Root, are you hurt?” John asked.

“No, I’m fine,” Root replied, dazed. All the adrenaline began to leave her system and her legs buckled under her, so that Carter had to readjust her hold to stop Root from falling. 

“Now then,” Carter said. “Y’all better explain to me what was going on here. And don't leave anything out.”

“Martine had a knife,” Shaw said, indicating with one foot to where the weapon lay on the floor. “She attacked me and tried to kill me. Root fought Martine to defended me.”

“But you didn't do anything?” Carter asked Shaw.

“No,” Root mumbled. Her voice was weak and the only thing stopping her from collapsing on the floor was Carter holding her. “Sameen didn't do anything.”

“Alright. Rosseau, where did you get the knife from?” John asked.

“None of your business,” Martine said, her presumably-broken nose giving her voice a strange nasal quality.

Two more guards walked into the room, presumably John and Carter had called for backup when they saw what was happening. 

“Attempted murder,” Carter said, pointing to Martine. “She’s going straight to Max. You alright to do that?”

One of the other guards nodded and took hold of Martine’s arms to then marched her out of the room.

Once she was gone, Carter gently released Root and allowed her to stand by herself. 

Carter said to her, “As for you, Root, you're going to the SHU. I know it was only in defense but you still did some pretty serious damage and I dread to think what you would have done to Martine if we hadn't intervened.”

“The SHU?” Root echoed, eyes wide with fear. Her legs gave way once more and the second guard thrust an arm around her for support, but Shaw’s fingers twitched as though she wanted to be the one helping Root.

“Please - I can't - you have to - do something!” Root begged. The last word turned into an unintelligible cry broken by a sob even though it was unclear who she was talking to. “Help me,” she whispered.

“I’m sorry, Root, but those are the rules,” Carter said. Then, to the guard, “Take her away.”

“Please, don't do this,” Root said as he began to lead her out of the room. 

Shaw was able to give her one last sympathetic look, not saying a word but still speaking volumes.

-

The SHU was its own special type of hell. Inmates were locked in a cell by themselves, with nothing but a bed with a paper-thin mattress and a metal toilet and sink. The lights were kept on constantly, causing the inmates to lose all sense of time, and their only contact with the outside world was when their meals were given to them through a hatch on the door.

Root couldn't stand it. She had been locked up a fair few times before, and being there brought back memories of when she was committed to a psychiatric facility, when Harold and co kept her locked in the library, when Control locked her up and proceeded to torture her.

All her worst memories featured a cage, be it a literal one or a more metaphorical one, in which there was nothing she could do to convince people she was telling the truth. 

She hated it. She hated feeling helpless and being at the complete mercy of someone else. She hated how being alone with her thoughts always made her own mind turn against her. She hated how the machine was unable to contact her through the reinforced walls.

Who-knows-how-long later she was lying on her back on the floor with her legs propped up against the wall, quietly humming every song she could think of to try and block out the dark thoughts hovering on the edge of her mind.

At some point she must have fallen asleep, because she was woken by the sound of knocking. Root sat up too quickly and her head span, forcing her to lean against the wall for support. It was then that her mind caught up with her senses and she remembered where she was, causing panic to surge through her and knock the breath out of her lungs.

She desperately tried to compose herself while listening out for the knocking, wondering if she had imagined it. That was an increasingly possible assumption, she felt as though her grasp of reality was tenuous at best considering her circumstances. And she had taken her sound processor off ages ago, when the screaming got so loud she could hear it in her cell.

The knock came again, louder that time. 

“Hello?” Root called tentatively.

“Can I come in?” It was Carter’s voice. Was Root hallucinating?

“If you want.”

The door opened, revealing Joss Carter who then stepped out of the way and motioned for Root to leave the cell.

“What -” Root began but Carter cut her off.

“I’m letting you out,” she said. “The way they treat inmates here is...let's just say I don't agree with it. And you were only defending Shaw. If anyone asks, you've been in there long enough to learn your lesson.”

Root stood up slowly and walked out of the cell. Part of her began to wonder if she was dreaming and any second now she was going to wake up and still be in that cell with no way to get out. “Why are you helping me?”

“Why shouldn't I?” Carter asked.

Caught off guard, Root didn't know what to say. So she just followed Carter out and said, “thank you.”

-

That night, Root and Shaw got chance to catch up before they went to bed. It had been a long day and they were both exhausted, but their conversation couldn't wait. 

They sat together on Root’s bed while she explained the latest developments. “So, the Machine told me I’m here to protect you from the people trying to kill you, which I did. We now know both who they are and why they wanted you gone. My friend Daizo hacked into the government's system and found some pretty interesting stuff.”

“You have friends?” Shaw asked skeptically.

“That's rich coming from someone who scared off her last four roommates.”

Shaw coughed. “Continue.”

“As I was saying,” Root said, “the same thing that happened to you also happened to Claire Mahoney. You see, Sameen, everything is connected. I also know the government is in possession of a nefarious programme called Samaritan, which turned out to be an awful lot more powerful than we first thought. Cole must have been onto this, and that's why they killed him.”

“So his death wasn't an accident,” Shaw said in a monotone.

Root gazed at her sympathetically. “I’m afraid not. I’m sorry, Sameen.”

Shaw waved her hand. “It's nothing. Keep going.”

“As you wish. Daizo managed to find reports of several other suspicious deaths, but never less than six months between them. And every time, people got sent to prison. There must have been lots of people who got too close to finding out the truth, so they had to go. But that many deaths would have looked suspicious. One death here and there is easily enough to play off as an accident and people get arrested all the time.”

“That's what happened to me. They locked me up to stop me investigating.”

“But clearly they didn't know you too well, considering you didn't let a little thing like being in jail stop you. That's where Martine comes into it. Her orders were to scare you, make you give up.”

“I don't exactly do scared,” Shaw said. 

“And Martine doesn't exactly do following orders. Which is why she tried to kill you. She probably would have killed Claire as well, given half a chance.”

Shaw sat in silence, taking it all in. Then she said, “Just answer me one thing.”

“Anything.”

“Why did the Machine send you to protect me? Why not Claire or one of the other people who were arrested?”

Root smiled cryptically. “She won't say. Just that She has something big lined up that She wants you to be a part of. She seems to really like you.”

“A robot likes me, how flattering,” Shaw deadpanned.

“She's not a robot,” Root said, chuckling. 

“Whatever. Siri wants me to do this thing, right? So does that mean She has a plan to get us out of here?”

“She's way ahead of you. I mean, we’re both innocent - ok maybe not innocent. Let me rephrase: neither of us actually committed the crimes we were convicted of. And we have just about finished your investigation.”

“So you're saying maybe someday we'll be leaving this place in our dust?”

“Maybe someday,” Root agreed. “And when that happens, I will take you to a fancy restaurant for the best steak you've ever tasted.”

“You promise?”

“Absolutely.”

**Author's Note:**

> You can also find us on tumblr: Beth (@princessroot) and Karol (@fvandomtrvsh), if you ever want to fangirl with us.


End file.
